Conor McGregor has been handed an 18-month suspension by Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD), the internal organization responsible for drug-testing in the UFC.
McGregor, a former two-division UFC champion, received the suspension after failing to produce samples on repeated occasions. Specifically, he violated CSAD’s whereabouts policies.
“McGregor missed three attempted biological sample collections within a 12-month period in 2024, which constitutes a violation of the UFC [anti-doping policy],” CSAD said in an Oct. 7 news release. “UFC athletes are required to provide accurate whereabouts information at all times, so they can be contacted and submit to biological sample collections without prior warning.
“McGregor’s missed tests occurred on June 13, September 19, and September 20, 2024, and were each classified as Whereabouts Failures by CSAD under the UFC ADP.”
When can Conor McGregor fight in the UFC again?
Despite violating CSAD policy, McGregor was given kudos by the organization for cooperating with their investigation. The news release also noted that the Irish UFC star was recovering from injuries at the times the samples were sought. He was not preparing for a fight.
For those reasons his suspension was reduced from the standard 24 months. The 18-month suspension is retroactive to the time of his final missed test (Sept. 20, 2024), which means he can fight again on March 20. That, of course, is well before the rumored UFC White House card he wants to partake in.
“McGregor fully cooperated with CSAD’s investigation, accepted responsibility, and provided detailed information that CSAD determined contributed to the missed tests,” officials explained in the news release.
“Despite these mitigating factors, CSAD emphasizes that accurate whereabouts filings and the ability to conduct unannounced testing are essential to the success of the UFC ADP. Taking McGregor’s cooperation and circumstances into account, CSAD reduced the standard 24-month sanction for three whereabouts failures by six months. His period of ineligibility began on September 20, 2024 and will conclude on March 20, 2026.”
Conor McGregor has not fought since suffering a second consecutive stoppage loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021. The loss left him with a broken leg. He was scheduled to fight Michael Chandler last year. However, the fight fell through when he injured his toe — the injury that coincided with his CSAD violations.